PORTION OF THE COSMOS. NEW STARS. 145 



pour 1834, p. 299-301 ; and Ann. pour 1842, p. 345- 

 347), has already called attention to the fact, that Kepler's 

 star did not change colour after long intervals like the 

 Tychonian star, which was first white, then yellow, red, 

 and again white. Kepler says decidedly, that his star, as 

 soon as it had risen above terrestrial vapours, was white. 

 If he speaks of the colours of the rainbow, it is in order to 

 give a clear idea of the coloured scintillation, " exemplo 

 adamantis multanguli, qui Solis radios inter convertendum 

 ad spectantium oculos variabili fulgore revibraret, colores 

 Iridis(stella nova inOphiucho) successive vibratu continue 

 reciprocabat." (De Nova Stella Serpent., p. 5 and 125.) 

 In the beginning of January 1605, the star was still 

 brighter than Antares, but not so bright as Arcturus. 

 At the end of March of the same year it was described as 

 of the 3rd magnitude. The proximity of the sun prevented 

 all observations for four months. Between February and 

 March 1606 it disappeared, without leaving any trace. 

 The inaccurate observations of the "great changes of 

 position of the new star" of Scipio Claramontius and the 

 geographer Blaeu or Blaew, as Jacques Cassini has already 

 remarked (Elem. d'Astron. p. 65), scarcely deserve to be 

 mentioned, as they have been refuted by the more certain 

 observations of Kepler. The Chinese notices of Ma-tuan-lin 

 speak of a phenomenon which, in point of time and of 

 position, has some resemblance to the appearance of the 

 new star in O^hiuchus. On the 30th of September, 1604, 

 there was seen in China, not far from TT Scorpii, a reddish 

 yellow (globe-large) star. It shone in the South West 

 until November of the same year, when it became in- 

 visible. It appeared on the 14th of January, 1605, in the 



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